Malaysia > Sleeping at the Iban host family

Malaysia - Our lunch being prepared in the open kitchen

I wake up with a start from the alarm, even though it’s not set particularly early. I can sleep in this morning. I decide to take it easy. When I look outside, the city is gloomy, with heavy rain falling. I watch the news, take a long shower, and pack my day bag for the night with the Iban family. Around half past ten, I head outside. The rain has eased slightly. I open my umbrella and walk to a small café across the street for a strong cup of coffee. An hour later, I walk toward the harbor with the luggage, and fortunately, it’s dry. At the quay, I board an express boat. The twenty-meter-long boat is something between a tour boat and a space capsule. It speeds upriver along the Batang Rajong. Inside, it feels a lot like an airplane, with small windows giving limited views and a slightly stuffy atmosphere. I climb outside and sit on the narrow edge of the boat.

Malaysia - In the Iban longhouse almost fifty houses are connected into a 300meterlong building

I enjoy watching daily life along the river. I pass several timber-processing companies. Seeing all the stacked logs, I wonder if there are any trees left upriver. I also pass fishing boats and dredgers. Along the banks, there are already several longhouses belonging to the Dayak tribes. After about an hour, I arrive at Durin, a small riverside village. I disembark and order fried noodles at a small local restaurant. In an open kitchen, the meals are prepared—delicious! After lunch, I go to the Iban family. The Ibans live together as a family, with their houses connected, forming a longhouse. The tribal chief lives in the center. In the past, the Ibans were notorious for headhunting. Every young man had to prove himself by beheading enemies, with the skulls displayed as trophies at the front door. Nowadays, headhunting no longer takes place. As I cross the bridge to the longhouse, I see children from the village playing in the water. From a distance, they wave at me. When I arrive at the longhouse, I am amazed by its size. It is much larger than I had imagined. The longhouse consists of nearly fifty connected houses. I estimate it at around 300 meters in length. The entire structure is built on stilts to protect against flooding.

Malaysia - Children of the Iban family cooling off in the water

I take off my shoes and step inside. I am now in an internal street, with all the front doors opening onto it. Only now do I fully appreciate the enormous length of the building. Far away, children are playing—it’s their holiday. Older people sit on benches in front of their doors. I take a seat at house number 29, the home of Phillip Koyan, the chief of this Iban family. In total, 93 families live here. Half reside in the longhouse, while the others live nearby. There is no room to expand the longhouse further sideways. I am welcomed with a traditional ceremony. Originally, a chicken would be sacrificed, but now a small piece of the rooster’s comb suffices. I toast with a glass of Tuak (rice wine) to all good things. After a short walk around the area, I am introduced to my Iban host family. I will stay tonight with Boniface and Regina. They do not live in the longhouse itself but in the first house next to it. Upstairs, there is a simple bedroom, and the toilet and shower are downstairs behind the living room.

Malaysia - A photo with the traditional Iban dancers

In the living room, a welcome drink is ready. Before I know it, I am handed a photo album containing all the previous guests who have stayed with them. Interestingly, they are all Dutch. Naturally, I also give them a photo of my visit. Family snapshots of the children are passed around as well. In the evening, dinner is served at the chief’s house. Several women from the village, including Regina, have prepared the meal. After dinner, a traditional dance is performed in the internal street in front of the chief’s house. Women play the Gamelan instrument while dressed in traditional attire and dance for me. For the final dance, I am invited to join in. The evening concludes with dances from the children. To the music of a karaoke DVD, they perform little dances just for me. When I crawl into bed, I hear the rain on the roof again. I realize I’ve been very lucky with the weather today, as the sun shone brightly this afternoon. The sound of the rain doesn’t bother me at all, easily overshadowed by the music from the Boney M karaoke DVD playing in the longhouse. I never realized how many hits Boney M had!